HALLOWEEN AT THE CLAREMORE VETERANS CENTER

[Bob Russell]

Once again I have been extremely impressed by the staff and residents at our local veterans home.  Bert Ellard and the recreation and activities department showed their dedication to and love of the local people, the center residents and the community.  They put on a Trick or Treat event with a carnival that was magnificent to say the least.  This was not their first Halloween event but it was my first with them and this one was magnificent.  Bert, Monique, Sandy, Robert, Sabrina, and Sherry organized and helped with the decorating of the building and held a contest allowing the residents to vote for their choice of best decorations.  Wing 1C was the choice as the best in a hands down vote with 20 more votes than the 2nd place and 30 more votes than the 3rd place contestants.  They also had a costume contest for residents and staff.  Trick or Treat began at 6 p m with 540 kids and countless adults going through the center collecting more than 850 lbs of candy donated by staff members in a fine example of their generosity and love for people, many of which they don't even know.  In the auditorium they held a carnival with softball bowling, ring toss, boat races, and many other games for kids and adults.  They also had a petting zoo with rabbits, Hershey the Center's pet duck, and an African Gray parrot that would spread and flap his wings like an eagle while sitting on arms, shoulders, or heads of guests.

READ MORE:

http://www.conservativedailynews.com/2015/11/halloween-at-the-clare...

 

[Virginia Foulk]

I am so pleased that you have such a refreshing, caring home for the veterans. It's encouraging that there are some who care. Here in Wisconsin, we also have a very nice Veterans home - has facilities for couples, and of course the residence halls. We just visited it month ago, and were very impressed. My husband's 85 year old brother will be transferring there in a few months.  I have heard only good about this place - a far cry from what transpired at the VA Hospital in Tomah, WI.  My daughter, whose husband was a vet and died 4 years ago of cancer, has been involved with the women's auxiliary of the American Legion and the VA. She has visited King several times a year, for special programs. She is very impressed with the Home. In addition to the living quarters, they provide fishing, bowling, day trips, and even woodworking facilities. Stores are within 3-4 miles away, and family and friends are welcome to visit - and stay overnight - with prior requests.

One other special area I noticed - a homeless facility for veterans. It is a block over from the residence halls. They also have tunnels that run under all the facilities so that in winter the veterans can visit in other halls, or go to the coffee shop or other specialty areas - crafts, exercise, cafeteria.  

[Bob Russell]

Virginia, I am glad to hear your story.  There is a fishing pond on the grounds of ours also and they have events out there from time to time that lets those who enjoy fishing to do so.  we also have day trips.  twice a month the residents are taken to local casinos if they want to go.  we usually have 20 or 25 that go for about 4 hours or so.  They also have trips to Walmart every week and there are other outings.  a few months ago we went to a fly-in at the Will Rogers ranch in Oolahah, and there were trips to the Rogers County Fair and the Tulsa State Fair. There are domino, checker and pool tournaments weekly and Bingo two or three times a week.  There is at least one activity every day of the week and church services several times a week.  We also have a woodworking/craft room and the center residents garnered many ribbons for their projects at the fairs.  As far as I know there isn't a separate homeless facility here.  visitors are always welcome but I don't know about overnight visits as I am usually gone by 4 p m at the latest.  The politicians don't care about veterans much but I see a lot of love and generosity from the local folks.

[Virginia Foulk]

Yes, that is what we noticed on our visit. And my daughter also mentioned the care and generosity of the locals in the area.  King is almost 2 hours away from us, but when Larry is installed, we all have set up a rotation to go visit him.  It is so wonderful to hear about the facility in your area.  It restores my confidence in most Americans.  

[charles royer]

VA Secretary lies about number of employees disciplined in wait time scandal

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/11/va_secretary_lies_about...
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[Virginia Foulk]

Only disciplines accomplished in Wisconsin - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin fired her assistant - the whistleblower, who brought it out.

[Bob Russell]

the corruption in every government agency, including the VA is in Washington where corruption is rewarded or ignored at the very least.  Baldwin sounds like the typical politician, cover up the evil by getting rid of the honest.

[charles royer]

Veterans Administration Reforms That Will Make America Great Again

The Goals Of Donald J. Trump’s Veterans Plan
Donald Trump 2011 Skating With The Stars Gala at Wollman Rink - Central Park New York City, USA - 04.04.11 Mandatory Credit: C.Smith/ WENN.com

Donald Trump
2011 Skating With The Stars Gala at Wollman Rink – Central Park
New York City, USA – 04.04.11
Mandatory Credit: C.Smith/ WENN.com

The current state of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is absolutely unacceptable. Over 300,000 veterans died waiting for care. Corruption and incompetence were excused. Politicians in Washington have done too little too slowly to fix it. This situation can never happen again, and when Donald J. Trump is president, it will be fixed – fast.5

The guiding principle of the Trump plan is ensuring veterans have convenient access to the best quality care. To further this principle, the Trump plan will decrease wait times, improve healthcare outcomes, and facilitate a seamless transition from service into civilian life.

The Trump Plan Will:

Ensure our veterans get the care they need wherever and whenever they need it. No more long drives. No more waiting for backlogs. No more excessive red tape. Just the care and support they earned with their service to our country.
Support the whole veteran, not just their physical health care, but also by addressing their invisible wounds, investing in our service members’ post-active duty success, transforming the VA to meet the needs of 21st century service members, and better meeting the needs of our female veterans.
Make the VA great again by firing the corrupt and incompetent VA executives who let our veterans down, by modernizing the VA, and by empowering the doctors and nurses to ensure our veterans receive the best care available in a timely manner.

The Trump Plan Gives Veterans The Freedom To Choose And Forces The VA To Compete For Their Dollars

Politicians in Washington have tried to fix the VA by holding hearings and blindly throwing money at the problem. None of it has worked. In fact, wait times were 50% higher this summer than they were a year ago. That’s because the VA lacks the right leadership and management. It’s time we stop trusting Washington politicians to fix the problems and empower our veterans to vote with their feet.

Under a Trump Administration, all veterans eligible for VA health care can bring their veteran’s ID card to any doctor or care facility that accepts Medicare to get the care they need immediately. Our veterans have earned the freedom to choose better or more convenient care from the doctor and facility of their choice. The power to choose will stop the wait time backlogs and force the VA to improve and compete if the department wants to keep receiving veterans’ healthcare dollars. The VA will become more responsive to veterans, develop more efficient systems, and improve the quality of care because it will have no other choice.

The Trump Plan Treats The Whole Veteran

We must care for the whole veteran, not just their physical health. We must recognize that today’s veterans have very different needs than those of the Greatest Generation.

The Trump Plan Will:

Increase funding for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury and suicide prevention services to address our veterans’ invisible wounds. Service members are five times more likely to develop depression than civilians. They are almost fifteen times more likely to develop PTSD than civilians. This funding will help provide more and better counseling and care. More funding will also support research on best practices and state of the art treatments to keep our veterans alive, healthy and whole. With these steps, the Trump plan will help the veteran community put the unnecessary stigma surrounding mental health behind them and instead encourage acceptance and treatment in our greater society.
Increase funding for job training and placement services (including incentives for companies hiring veterans), educational support and business loans. All Americans agree that we must do everything we can to help put our service men and women on a path to success as they leave active duty by collaborating with the many successful non-profit organizations that are already helping. Service members have learned valuable skills in the military but many need help understanding how to apply those skills in civilian life. Others know how to apply those skills but need help connecting with good jobs to support their families. Still others have an entrepreneurial spirit and are ready to start creating jobs and growing the economy. The Trump plan will strengthen existing programs or replace them with more effective ones to address these needs and to get our veterans working.
Transform the VA to meet the needs of 21st century service members. Today’s veterans have very different needs than those of the generations that came before them. The VA must adapt to meet the needs of this generation of younger, more diverse veterans. The Trump plan will expand VA services for female veterans and ensure the VA is providing the right support for this new generation of veterans.
Better support our women veterans. The fact that many VA hospitals don’t permanently staff OBGYN doctors shows an utter lack of respect for the growing number female veterans. Under the Trump plan, every VA hospital in the country will be fully equipped with OBGYN and other women’s health services. In addition, women veterans can always choose a different OBGYN in their community using their veteran’s ID card.

The Trump Plan Will Make The VA Great Again

The VA health care program is a disaster. Some candidates want to get rid of it, but our veterans need the VA to be there for them and their families. That’s why the Trump plan will:

Fire the corrupt and incompetent VA executives that let our veterans down. Under a Trump Administration, there will be no job security for VA executives that enabled or overlooked corruption and incompetence. They’re fired. New leadership will focus the VA staff on delivering timely, top quality care and other services to our nation’s veterans. Under a Trump Administration, exposing and addressing the VA’s inefficiencies and shortcomings will be rewarded, not punished.
End waste, fraud and abuse at the VA. The Trump plan will ensure the VA is spending its dollars wisely to provide the greatest impact for veterans and hold administrators accountable for irresponsible spending and abuse. The days of $6.3 million for statues and fountains at VA facilities and $300,000 for a manager to move 140 miles are over. The Trump plan will clean up the VA’s finances so the current VA budget provides more and better care than it does now.
Modernize the VA. A VA with 20th century technology cannot serve 21st century service members and their needs. The VA has been promising to modernize for years without real results. The Trump plan will make it happen by accelerating and expanding investments in state of the art technology to deliver best-in-class care quickly and effectively. All veterans should be able to conveniently schedule appointments, communicate with their doctors, and view accurate wait times with the push of a button.
Empower the caregivers to ensure our veterans receive quality care quickly. Caregivers should be able to easily streamline treatment plans across departments and utilize telehealth tools to better serve their patients. As we have seen from the private sector, the potential for new, innovative technology is endless. Abandoning the wasteful and archaic mindset of the public sector will give way to tremendously effective veteran healthcare.
Hire more veterans to care for veterans. The more veterans we have working at the VA, the better the VA will be. They understand the unique challenges facing their community. To increase the number of veterans hired by the VA, this plan will add an additional 5 points to the qualifying scores of veterans applying for VA jobs.
Embed satellite VA clinics in rural and other underserved areas. The Trump Administration will embed satellite VA clinics within hospitals and other care facilities in rural and other underserved areas. This step will ensure veterans have easy access to care and local hospitals and care facilities can handle the influx of patients without backlogs while tapping the specialized knowledge of VA health specialists.

Source: Will County News

[Virginia Foulk]

Well, that gives me more of a reason to consider Trump for Pres.

[Bob Russell]

if you will look at John Dummett's web site I think you will find out where that media clown trump got all of his campaign points.  Dummett has been saying these things since 2007 but trump gets the attention because he is a billionaire publicity seeker, not a serious candidate.

http://www.dummett2016.com/